New Civil Hospital (NCH) in Surat has started free electroencephalography (EEG) and nerve conduction velocity (NCV) testing, giving patients access to neurological diagnostic services within the city without having to travel elsewhere for these tests.
The facility is now operational and is intended to support the diagnosis of disorders affecting the brain and nervous system. According to a hospital official cited in the report, EEG tests can cost up to Rs 5,000 at private hospitals, while NCV tests can cost up to Rs 4,000. Providing both services free of cost at NCH could reduce the direct expense faced by patients seeking specialised neurological care.
An EEG records the electrical activity of the brain through electrodes placed on a patient’s scalp. Doctors use the test to evaluate conditions including seizures, episodes of unconsciousness, sleep-related disorders and serious brain injuries. The availability of the test at a public hospital is expected to help clinicians assess these conditions without referring patients outside Surat for testing.
NCV testing measures the speed and efficiency with which electrical signals travel through the nerves. It can assist doctors in diagnosing nerve-related conditions such as neuropathy, chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy, or CIDP, and carpal tunnel syndrome. The test can also help identify and distinguish different types of nerve damage.
The launch expands the diagnostic capacity available at New Civil Hospital, which serves patients requiring care through the public health system. For people who cannot afford private diagnostic charges, access to free EEG and NCV testing can be important for completing the assessment required for neurological treatment.
The new services also address a practical access problem in specialised healthcare: the cost and availability of diagnostic testing can determine how quickly a patient receives a confirmed assessment. By making the tests available at NCH, the hospital can provide these investigations as part of the city’s public healthcare infrastructure rather than leaving patients dependent on private facilities or travel outside Surat.
The hospital has not provided in the supplied report a separate testing capacity, appointment schedule or details of eligibility and referral procedures. The immediate development is the operational launch of free EEG and NCV services at New Civil Hospital, with the facility now available to support neurological diagnosis in Surat.
